CT scans aid colon cancer treatment

CT colonography (CTC)
has been shown to be comparable to standard colonoscopy in accurately detecting
cancer in older patients.

According to a research paper published online in Radiology, CTC can be just as
effective as standard methods when used to check for cancer and precancerous
polyps in people aged 65 and over.

The results are consistent with findings from the ACRIN National CT
colonography trial, published in 2008 by the New England Journal of Medicine,
which showed that CTC can be used for adults aged 50 and above as a primary
option for colorectal cancer screening.

C Daniel Johnson of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, the paper's primary author,
described CTC as a perfectly viable tool for colorectal cancer screening for
people in the traditional Medicare demographic.

"Wider availability made possible by Medicare coverage of CT colonography
would attract more seniors to be screened for colorectal cancer - which is so
successfully treated when detected early," he added.

Bowel cancer is the most common form of the disease in the UK, according to
Cancer Research UK.